You hear it all the time: college is a lot different from high school. Courses are tougher. Professors are more demanding than the most rigorous teachers. Maybe the biggest difference, though, is that you’re on your own for the first time and trying to figure out the whole adulting thing.
If you’re a student with a disability, for example, it’s now entirely up to you to advocate for your rights. Make no mistake, you do have rights. Federal laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, protect you from unfair discrimination and harassment and ensure you have an equal opportunity to earn a degree as anyone else at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. It’s just that no one is going to identify your disability and set you up with an IEP. You’re going to have to let the university know what you need, and you may sometimes have to be aggressive in demanding your rights.
We can help. The LLF National Law Firm works extensively in the area of student rights. Our Educational Law Team is up to date on disability law. We also have a solid grasp of how NJIT processes and procedures work. We can help you navigate the system, make sure you’re getting the resources and materials you deserve, and if need be, file formal grievances on your behalf. Whatever your situation, we’re always on your side.
To find out more about all the services we offer, call us today at 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Requesting Accommodations
Your first job as an NJIT student is to register with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS), the school’s disability services office. Remember that it’s your job now to make NJIT aware of your accommodation needs. Faculty won’t grant you extra time for assignments or access to the technology you need until you’ve established your disability with Accommodations and Support. In fact, it’s a good idea to contact OARS as soon as you’re accepted at the school.
OARS serves a number of important functions for students with disabilities. For example, staff advocate for access rights and work to educate everyone in the campus community about the importance of disability rights. OARS can also help you with housing accommodations if you need them, parking, and registering an emotional support animal.
OARS’s most important job, though, is setting up your classroom accommodations. If you need anything, from a note-taker to a sign language interpreter, this office is where you start.
Registering with OARS involves,
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Scheduling an appointment with the Associate Director. If you’re a new student, you can do that by emailing [email protected] directly.
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Completing a Google form with basic contact information and a description of your disability needs.
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Providing documentation of your disability.
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Meeting with the director to map out what accommodations you’ll need.
The LLF National Law Firm can help you gather materials and put together your registration package. This helps ensure you won’t have any problems with the process. Of course, if problems should arise, like questions about your documentation, we’re also on hand to help you resolve them.
In fact, larger problems can come up as well. It sometimes happens, for instance, that OARS decides to deny you an accommodation you feel you genuinely need. We are always willing to negotiate on your behalf, and we don’t mind being even more aggressive if your rights are in question.
More than anything else, it’s important you remember that you deserve proper resources and materials. That’s not a matter of NJIT’s good will. It’s the law. And you’re not asking for unfair advantages. Accommodations are designed to create a level academic playing field. Never be shy about demanding them.
Invisible Disabilities
If you have an “invisible disability,” like ADHD or an Autism Spectrum Disorder, it’s particularly important that you self-identify with OARS. Unfortunately, instructors will not simply “take your word for it.”
In fact, you’ll find some instructors don’t do an adequate job of respecting your accommodations, even when you have letters from OARS. There are actually faculty out there who try to decide for themselves what your disability may or may not entitle you to. Maybe they dismiss your need for extra time on assignments. Or maybe they’re resistant to changing their teaching methods to suit your learning style.
More commonly, though, instructors simply get busy and forget about their responsibilities. It’s easy for obligations to get overlooked when faculty aren’t confronted with them every day. Without question, though, you are entitled to proper accommodations, and a busy schedule is no excuse for failing to provide them. In most instances, OARS can handle these problems. You can call on the LLF National Law Firm as well, though, if OARS is too busy or if this office needs to apply greater pressure.
Of course, invisible disabilities can be invisible even to those who have them. Not every student gets diagnosed during their K-12 years. If you struggle to keep your GPA up despite your best efforts, or you seem to have more trouble in some kinds of classes than others, it could be that a proper diagnosis is all you need to improve. We can work with you to make sure you’re properly tested, help you gather documentation of your diagnosis, and encourage OARS to process your request quickly.
You can even petition NJIT to drop past low grades from your transcript if you discover you have a previously undiagnosed disability. You always have the right to accommodations, even if you don’t realize you have them. This means it’s possible to go back and retake classes under fair conditions.
Filing a Formal Grievance
Most conflicts you encounter at NJIT can be handled through conversation. You’ll find that most instructors, administrators, and students are willing to work with you if you ask.
You may encounter incidents, though, that require a more formal solution. The specifics of that solution will depend on the nature of the conflict.
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Every student has the option of filing a grade appeal at the conclusion of a semester. If you feel that one of your course grades is lower than you deserve—for any reason—a grade appeal can be a good, low-stakes route to a better result. You will likely need some evidence to back your claims, though.
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Issues of discrimination and harassment are usually handled through the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS). Such behavior is explicitly prohibited under the NJIT Code of Student Conduct.
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If your complaint is against the university rather than an individual or a department, you can file a formal grievance with the NJIT Office of General Counsel. This is the best route if OARS refuses to respond to a request or the university refuses to punish members of the campus for discrimination and harassment.
The LLF National Law Firm can help you decide which path is best for resolving your dispute. Of course, we’ll also help you prepare your case, whether that means working to collect evidence or drafting a hearing presentation. Our most important job, though, is always to make sure you’re treated fairly and afforded all of the rights to which you are entitled.
Issues of Misconduct
Almost all students with disabilities must deal with accommodation issues at some point while they are in college. Misconduct allegations are less common, but they do happen.
The fact is that students with disabilities are sometimes unfairly targeted for accusations. To an ignorant instructor, tourette’s can look like acting out. ADHD can look like inattention in class. OARS may be able to resolve disputes like these, but should your case trigger an investigation or hearing, you can count on the LLF National Law Firm to stand firm beside you.
Misunderstandings happen for other reasons as well. Unfortunately, students with disabilities sometimes become targets for discrimination and harassment. If you get caught up in a conflict, you could wind up accused of an offense simply for being involved.
Or perhaps you have committed some offense. Maybe you responded to harassment in kind, or made some mistake out of frustration.
The LLF National Law Firm works extensively in the area of student defense. We have helped hundreds of students challenge all types of allegations. Whatever your situation, we’ll help you navigate processes and procedures and make sure you get the best possible resolution to your case.
We’re Always On Your Side
It’s hard enough for any student to get fair treatment from a school like the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Institutions can be a complicated tangle of rules and regulations. When you’re a student with a disability, it can be particularly challenging to convince faculty and administrators to honor your rights. Even just ensuring your professors treat your disability confidentially can be difficult.
You don’t have to deal with your university alone, though. Whatever disability issue you might be dealing with at NJIT, the LLF National Law Firm’s Educational Law Team is here to help. We know what to expect from colleges and universities, and we’re always on your side, whatever the situation. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to ensure you the best possible outcome.
It’s unfortunate, but sometimes, you have to fight for your educational rights. You don’t have to do that alone, though. To find out more about how we can help, contact the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.